It usually comes down to Sonos and Logictech. The mainstrem hi fi companies frantically jumping on the wagon (Linn, Cyrus, Naim etc) imho seem to add little value and a whole lot of cost in the streamer market.
It is swings and roundabouts Sonos/Squeezebox. To play internet radio and streaming services, neither need a PC/server/NAS running. To play HDD-based files both need additional sofware runnning on a PC/mac/server/NAS. (I discount tiny SBS on SB Touch as it is no easier than Squeezerserver and not as performant). Both can be easily run from and iphone/itouch/ipad/Android wireless device and there are a host of good apps to do this. Deuce.
I run 1 SB touch, 1 duet, 1 receiver and 1 SB3. I run these on a dedicated black box headless, fanless server that never stops. Nor does it perform any other function.
The Touch feeds vanilla TCP/IP packets to my Cyrus pre/DAC, wher the real work is done and where the real difference is made, so i don't have to faff about with a PC or MAC and start optimising sounds cards, other software, optical outs etc etc and still have to have a PC/mac tied to my hi fi. That for me is a waste of time.
The beauty of networking (rather than direct-attaching dedicated source to hi fi) is that once you have it running, expanding it is so easy. Here Sonos used to have advantage, but with SB Touch and SB Radio, adding new node zones as just as easy, assuming you can master SSID and password. Newcomers can get flummuxed on either system, and this is usually more about IP networking than the system architecture itself.
24 bit tracks on the Touch/Cyrus combo are really something special and imho can challenge many top end CD transport/DAC combos. I was listening to "Blue Bird" from Wings Band on Run at 24bit flac, 16 bit flac, ALAC, and 320kps mp4a rates, back to back at weekend. 24bit was so much more enjoyable than others. Not scientific I know, but it was extra virgin cold first pressing compared to regular virgin. It's nice to have the choice of formats with which to make one's own mind about relative quality.
Sonos doesn't support 24bit files (yet). Neither does Apple, discounting both for digital hi fi fans who want to play the highest available quality source files.
Sonos is still capable of sounding very good on it's own and even better with an external DAC. That is such an easy upgrade. I rate the system highly.
I think at £200, the Squeezebox Touch is the bargain of the current streamer market. Add a Dacmagic or rDAC, and you have good quality source at a reasonable price. Ditto Sonos Z90 + DAC as a base system building block.
You'll be happy with either I'll wager.
